Second Annual Independent Games Festival Mobile Announces Winners

iPhone and iPod touch Titles Dominate List of Winners Sharing $30,000 in Prizes

SAN FRANCISCO, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of the second annual Independent Games Festival Mobile (IGF Mobile) were announced today, with titles on the iPhone and iPod touch platforms dominating all categories. In only its second year, IGF Mobile is the sister event to the Independent Games Festival, held at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. The IGF Mobile showcases innovation in the handheld and mobile space, including the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP), Nintendo DS, mobile handsets and the iPhone/iPod touch platforms. From a roster of more than 100 entries, more than double the number from last year, 27 compelling nominees were chosen across seven categories, including Achievement in Art, Best iPhone Game, Technical Achievement and others. Winners earned $30,000 across the seven categories at the ceremony.

Among the winners of the IGF Mobile awards is Subatomic Studios' Fieldrunners, the highly-stylized and refined touch-based take to the classic "Tower Defense" game, which won the IGF Mobile Best Game award, as well as the award for Achievement in Art. Another big winner from the award ceremony includes Zen Bound by Secret Exit, a 3D puzzle game utilizing the unique capabilities of the iPhone/iPod touch platform to create a compelling yet meditative object manipulation game experience. Zen Bound received the award for Audio Achievement as well as the Best iPhone Game award. The other winners included Galcon by Hassey Enterprises and Real Racing by Firemint.

The finalists for the IGF Mobile Competition will be showcasing their games at the IGF Mobile Pavilion alongside the 11th annual IGF Main Competition and Student Showcase, taking place March 25-27, 2009. All finalists will be featured in playable form within the special pavilion on the Game Developers Conference 2009 show floor.

The following IGF Mobile winners were selected from a field of 27 nominees, taken from an overall field of 100 entries:

    IGF Mobile Best Game:
    Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) - iPhone/iPod touch

    Innovation In Mobile Game Design:
    Galcon (Hassey Enterprises) - iPhone/iPod touch

    Achievement In Art:
    Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) - iPhone/iPod touch

    Technical Achievement:
    Real Racing (Firemint) - iPhone/iPod touch

    Audio Achievement:
    Zen Bound (Secret Exit) - iPhone/iPod touch

    The Next Great Mobile Game - Presented by NVIDIA:
    Reflection (Team Reflection) - Nintendo DS

    Best iPhone Game - Presented by ngmoco:
    Zen Bound (Secret Exit) - iPhone/iPod touch

"The amazing games at IGF Mobile have proven that the mobile platforms are an exciting test bed for unique and engaging gameplay experiences," says Mathew Kumar, IGF Mobile Content Director. "With emergent platforms like iPhone and iPod touch fueling further innovation, we're already seeing some truly creative developments and we can't wait to see what surprises these talented developers have in stock for the future. We applaud all the winners and finalists for their amazing work."

This year's IGF Mobile competition is supported by Platinum and Founding Sponsor NVIDIA - which is awarding 'The Next Great Mobile Game' at this year's awards, as well as Gold Sponsor and Best iPhone Game prize sponsor ngmoco - which is presenting the Best iPhone Game award.

The IGF was established in 1998 by the CMP Game Group to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize the best independent game developers, in the way that Sundance Film Festival honors the independent film community. The creation of IGF Mobile in 2007 was the direct response to the maturing of the mobile game industry, it serves as a venue to promote the bourgeoning talents and of the mobile and handheld game industry, rewarding and recognizing the innovation and advancement of the space.

For more information on the Independent Games Festival Mobile, please visit www.igfmobile.com. The official website for the Game Developers Conference is available at www.gdconf.com.

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